postheadericon Reverse Mortgage Disadvantages everyone needs to know



by Paul Hong


Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #1: The Money you receive from Reverse Mortgage is a loan and it does not be paid back one way or another. Mortgage business is a big business and the lenders are in it to make money. You get the money up front, the lender gets a guarantee that they will be paid once they get the title to the house when you are gone.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #2: There can be significant upfront cost when doing a reverse mortgage just like a home mortgage. Lenders will charge you origination fees and other closing costs.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #2: If you get a reverse mortgage, you will have less equity in your home than if you did not get one. A reverse mortgage enables you to access a portion of your home equity. Your home equity is the difference between the value of your home and how much (if any) you owe on it..

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #3: Reverse mortgages are more expensive than traditional home loans. The reverse mortgage lender, not you, is taking on the risk that you live to be 100 years old because, for that entire time, they cannot ask for a payment from you. That is a big risk for the lender and so like any good investor, they must get an increased return on their money (that they lend to you) in exchange for the greater risk.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #4: Reverse Mortgage Sales people. Most sales people don't know what they are talking about, Reverse Mortgage is a complicate loan and not many people are proficient about it. Many of them sound like used car sales man. Make sure you use people that you know.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #5: You are charged interest on the money that you receive. Most Lenders charge a variable interest rate like the 1-Yr Terasury Bill or the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), plus one to three percent onto your rate. Its best to ask for a fixed interest rate. Interest is not paid out of loan disbursement, but instead compounds over the life of the loan until its pay off.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #6: You need to have lots of equity to qualify for a Reverse Loan. Usually means that you owed the house for many years. They need to leave plenty of room for interest to be added to the principle balance of the loan, so that it will not get too close to the value of the home in the future.

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantage #7: A reverse mortgage may not be the singular, ultimate, all-encompassing answer to your financial goals. You do not have unlimited amounts of home equity and a reverse mortgage does not change that. It is merely a means of tapping into the home equity that you do have. You will qualify for a given amount of money upfront.

Before you apply for the Reverse Mortgage program, make sure you understand it and review all the alternative options. Your home is your number one asset, don't use the equity lightly.




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